Introduction to the Curriculum Guide

Purposes of This Guide

This guide provides information about curricular processes and policies in the College of Arts & Sciences; summarizes how college curriculum processes dovetail with those at the university level, including due dates for course and program proposals to be reviewed by A&S and university curriculum committees; and provides web links to forms, guides, and other college and university curricular resources.

The College of Arts & Sciences Curriculum Committee (CASCC)

The Mission of CASCC is to:

Support and facilitate disciplinary and interdisciplinary curricular development and innovation;

Coordinate additions, deletions, and changes to individual course offerings and academic programs within the college;

Promote curricular coherence, collaboration and cooperation within the college and across A&S and other colleges;

Advocate for improved university-level curricular policies and processes as needs are identified.

CASCC Composition and Meetings

CASCC is chaired by the Associate Dean for Students, Instruction, and Curriculum and co-chaired by the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs in the College of Arts & Sciences. Group I and Group II faculty in Arts & Sciences are eligible to serve on the committee. The committee includes faculty representatives from the humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences, and a faculty representative from the regional campuses. See the current roster of CASCC members.

CASCC typically meets every other Friday during the academic year (for the Fridays when there are university holidays or no classes are held, the committee will skip that Friday and will then typically meet two other Fridays in a row). Proposals to be reviewed by the committee must come in 1 ½ weeks prior to the committee meeting to allow time for the agenda to be created and for the committee members to review the proposals. See specific dates for the current academic year. This meeting schedule helps to ensure that the college committee reviews and acts upon course and program proposals in a timely way throughout the academic year.

Course and program proposals that are approved by CASCC are then reviewed by university-level curriculum committees, described in the following section.

University-Level Committees, Processes and Guidelines

University Curriculum Council

The University Curriculum Council (UCC) “is the final recommending voice in curricular matters. Its recommendations go through the Provost to the President for final approval.”

Committees within the UCC include the following.

The Individual Course Committee (ICC) “is concerned with coordination at the university level of addition, deletion, and changes in all individual course offerings”

Forms and guidelines posted on the ICC webpage include:

Guidelines for New Courses and Course Changes

Top Reasons for Course Returns from the ICC

Cross-Listed Course Guidelines

Junior Composition Course Guidelines

Tier 1 Junior Composition (JE) Course Guidelines

Experimental Course Form

Temporary Course Form

Learning Objectives and Outcomes for General Education Courses

The Programs Committee (PC) “is concerned with addition, and first follow-up of new programs, as well as deletion, relocation, and changes in existing academic programs, degrees, master curriculum file prefixes, and major codes”

Forms and guidelines posted on the PC webpage include:

Program Relocation Process

Process for offering approved underbraduate programs at other Ohio campuses

The OCEAN approval process is as follows (in order); see the UCC website.

OCEAN Review Levels (in order)

DSCC: Department/School Curriculum Committee (optional)

DCSD: Department Chair/School Director

CCC: College Curriculum Committee

CDEAN: College Dean

ICC: Individual Course Committee (courses only)

PC: Programs Committee (Programs only)

UCC: University Curriculum Committee

To request OCEAN access for A&S faculty who are involved in curricular submission and approval processes in their department or program, the department chair or program director should contact Erin Thompson.